Waiting for the perfect moment to invest in the stock market is a mug's game.

Just before the Brexit referendum last year, many experts said the market would crash if Britain voted out.

But if that put you off investing, you'd have missed out on a cracking return.

After a brief dip, the FTSE 100 — a list of Britain's 100 biggest firms — has soared, hitting a record high of 7,382 this month. So someone who had £10,000 invested just before the vote is now sitting on £11,700.

Your luck can just as easily turn, though — as investors you who lost money on tech stocks in the dotcom crash in 2000 know all too well.

Global ambitions: With Britain leaving the EU and reality TV star Donald Trump now President of America, where in the world should you invest?

That's why experts say the best tactic is to find top funds in regions that you think are on the up — and then drip-feed in your money over time. That way, you ride out the bumps in the market.

So, with Britain leaving the EU and reality TV star Donald Trump now President of America, where in the world should you invest now?

It's one of the more expensive, but offers the best tools and information to help you invest.

If you're buying shares it typically costs £11.95 to trade.

Fidelity charges 0.35 per cent a year. It doesn't allow you to buy shares.

Barclays Direct Investing charges 0.2 per cent, but there's a £3 cost to buy or sell funds, plus a £6 fee for shares.

AJ Bell charges 0.25 per cent and £1.50 to buy a fund and £9.95 to trade shares.

By opening an account with a fund supermarket such as Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, Tilney or Interactive Investor, you can buy any number of investments.

Many savers stick close to home and invest in the FTSE 100. Yet these days that actually means investing all over the world.

The FTSE 100 is dominated by large international companies that generate huge profits overseas, such as mobile giant Vodafone, and mining company Anglo American.

Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown says: 'The pound has fallen recently and that's helped these global giants because it means their overseas earnings are worth more when turned back into British currency.'

He says the weak pound could tempt foreign firms to make takeover offers, resulting in bumper payouts.

Last month Unilever — which owns Marmite and Persil — rebuffed an approach from U.S. firm Kraft Heinz. The boost from the pound hasn't helped smaller companies as much, though, as they tend to be more UK-focused.

However, with Britain's economy growing, fund managers say small and medium firms in the FTSE 250 could be the big winners.

Its share picks range from magazine firm Auto Trader Group, founded by Reading Football Club chairman Sir John Madejski, to ITV. £10,000 invested five years ago would now be worth £15,040.

Jason Hollands, a director of wealth managers Tilney, says one of the main advantages of investing in the UK is the culture of hefty dividends. His tip is Artemis Income, which has turned £10,000 into £16,090 in five years. Its top share is oil giant BP.

INVEST IN COMPANY BONDS

Savers hunting for income should also consider so-called retail bonds.

These are essentially IOUs from a big company: you lend the firm money for a fixed period and it gives you a regular payout at a fixed rate of interest.

At the end of the term — typically three, five or seven years — your cash is returned in full.

Tesco, Barclays and Vodafone are some of the companies to have issued these deals, paying 5 per cent or more. It's a handy way for them to raise extra cash.

Top-paying retail bonds at the moment include Lloyds Bank (9.6 per cent, bond matures in April 2023), Intermediate Capital Group (7 pc, matures December 2018) and BT (8.6 per cent, until March 2020).

Tesco pays 6 per cent until December 2029, Barclays 5.75 per cent until September 2026 and Vodafone 5.9 per cent until November 2032.

The downside is that your money is only as safe as the company you invest in.

If it goes out of business you could lose all your cash.

This is because retail bonds are not covered by the Financial Service Compensation Scheme, which protects up to £85,000 in a savings account if a bank goes under.

UNITED STATES

The U.S. market is the biggest in the world, home to giants such Microsoft, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Alphabet (owners of Google) and PepsiCo.

But some experts think that after an eight-year bull run (i.e. share prices have continued to rise), share prices may be ripe for a fall.

Others say the U.S. economy has been motoring ahead and will be helped by Trump's promises to cut taxes and increase spending on roads and energy production.

Unpredictable: Some experts think that after an eight-year bull run US share prices may be ripe for a fall. But Donald Trump's policies may keep the market bubbling

McDermott points out that the pay of many American company bosses is linked to share price.

That means companies will use surplus cash to buy back shares — which helps drive prices up — rather than paying dividends.

Something to bear in mind when investing in the U.S. is that few fund managers ever beat the average return of the stock market.

Even legendary investor Warren Buffett says tracker funds, which blindly follow the market up and down, are best. Mr Khalaf tips the L&G U.S. Tracker, which has turned £10,000 into £24,180 in five years.

EUROPE

Many of Europe's economies are struggling. Spain, Greece and Italy, in particular, are up to their necks in debt and unemployment is rife.

There are also concerns about the impact Brexit will have on trade. But Mr Hollands, from Tilney, points out that most European funds don't just invest in EU-based stock markets.

In fact, the three largest companies in Europe — chocolate-maker Nestle and drugs giants Novartis and Roche — are all based in Switzerland, a non-EU country that makes up almost 20 per cent of the main European index of shares.

TOP TIP: TAKE IT SLOW

Always try to drip-feed your money into a stocks and shares Isa slowly.

It protects you against the risk of investing all your money just as the market is about to fall.

Plagued by concern over the economy, many European shares are undervalued by investors, the experts say.

Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity, says that while the unpredictable elections in France, Germany, the Netherlands and possibly Italy this year may cause share prices to wobble, they could rally if results are better than expected.

Mr McDermott, from Chelsea FS, tips T. Rowe Price European Smaller Companies fund, which has turned £10,000 into £21,970 in five years by investing in firms such as betting software provider Playtech.

Mr Stevenson tips Invesco Perpetual European Equity Income fund, which has turned £10,000 into £20,790 in five years via undervalued stocks. Its top holding is Novartis, which has been working with Google on 'smart' contact lenses that track blood sugar and can auto-focus.

WATCH OUT FOR BINARY SCAMS

You may know to put the phone down on fraudsters who call up about Spanish holiday homes, plots in the Midlands or fine wine.

But scammers are getting craftier. The latest danger is a type of investment known as binary options trading.

With this type of investing you simply bet on whether a share price will rise or fall.

Caution: The latest scam is a type of investment known as binary options trading. With this type of investing you simply bet on whether a share price will rise or fall

If you win, you can get double-digit returns.

But it's incredibly risky because you lose all your money if you bet the wrong way.

Many firms offering binary options trading are not only risky but have been found to be fraudulent.

Investors have put in tens of thousands and then been unable to withdraw a penny.

If you're concerned that you have been contacted by a fraudulent company then you can check to see if it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Visit fca.org.uk/consumers

JAPAN

Japan is one of the largest industrialised economies in the world, and home to global firms Nissan, Sony and Nintendo, the company behind the Wii games console.

The economy has spent decades in the doldrums — so is now the time for it to turn around?

The Japanese government has taken steps to boost economic growth by spending on infrastructure projects, and imposing negative interest rates to encourage companies to borrow to invest.

KEEP YOUR COSTS DOWN

Investing isn't free. Nearly all funds charge you an annual fee for managing the money.

If you're paying a professional to pick stocks for you, it will cost around 0.75 per cent. That's £75 a year on a £10,000 investment, which is deducted from your savings.

If you invest in a tracker fund, which work like robots following the market up and down, you'll pay as little as 0.1 per cent, or £10 on a £10,000 investment.

There is no right or wrong answer to which is best.

But with a cheaper tracker fund you know fees aren't chipping away at your returns.

So check whether you're getting value for money.

It's also trying to stop Japanese companies stockpiling cash, and pay dividends to investors or buy back shares instead. If successful, these measures could result in better stock market returns.

But it's a big 'if'. Over the past ten years there have been numerous false dawns in Japan, when investment returns have picked up before stagnating again.

Mr Khalaf tips Man GLG Japan Core Alpha, which has turned £10,000 into £19,710 in five years.

He says manager Stephen Harker has a 'good track record of sniffing out top stocks in out of favour areas'. Its top holding is Toyota.

EMERGING MARKETS

IF you're adventurous, you could try emerging market funds investing in Asia, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Latin America.

Most emerging nations have young populations — 70 per cent of India's population is aged under 35 — and a growing 'consumer class' eager to spend.

But it's not all good news. Mr Stevenson says Donald Trump's presidency could damage emerging markets because he wants firms to trade within the U.S. and rely less on cheap labour in China.

Emerging market countries can also have fragile or draconian political and legal systems, making it hard to predict how companies will grow.

Mr McDermott also warns falls in the price of oil, gold, and other commodities, hit economies such as Brazil and Russia hard, as they're rich in natural resources. They benefit from rising demand, however.

Bustle: Most emerging nations have young populations — 70 per cent of India's population is aged under 35 — and a growing 'consumer class' eager to spend

Experts also fear China's economic boom could be fizzling out. After years of stellar growth, driven by cheap exports to the West, rising wage costs are causing a slowdown.

You can invest in Chinese companies without buying into a China fund, as some of its biggest firms such as Baidu — the 'Chinese Google' — and Alibaba, the world's largest retailer, are listed in the U.S.

In the long term, emerging markets should prosper — but investors need to be patient and prepare for ups and down along the way.

A good option is the BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Tracker fund. It spreads your money across China, Brazil, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia and South Africa and has turned £10,000 into £12,850 in five years.